Talk Therapy May Help Chase Away Winter Blues, Study Finds

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI): Many feel the effect of the change of seasons as early as August or September. They dread the shorter days and coming winter -- they eat more, sleep more and suffer from a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Traditional approaches to treat the disorder include using anti-depressant drugs, light therapy, or a combination. New research indicates that adding cognitive behavior therapy, or "talk therapy," to the mix might be more effective treatment. The symptoms of SAD go way beyond the winter blues and subtle changes in eating and sleeping. It can include cravings for sweets and starches, fatigue, irritability, social withdrawal and depression. These changes disappear in the spring and summer. Shorter days seem to trigger symptoms. There is some evidence that light intensity and temperature also may play a role, said Kelly Rohan, an assistant professor of psychology who studies SAD at the University of Vermont. In the winter, the production of melatonin may increase. The lack of sunlight is thought to decrease the amount of serotonin. The depression that comes with SAD can vary. The percentage of people with SAD increases with increasing latitude. Rohan's research involves cognitive behavioral therapy. She wondered if the therapy could be an effective means to treat SAD. Behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which therapists work with patients to overcome problems by changing their thinking, behavior and emotional responses. In her study, Rohan randomly assigned 61 SAD patients to four groups for six weeks of treatment: daily light therapy; 12 sessions of behavioral therapy; a combination of both treatments; or wait-list control group. All groups -- even the control group, which received treatment after waiting six weeks -- showed comparable improvement in their depression and SAD symptoms after six weeks of treatment. Of the patients treated with light and talk therapy, 80 percent were no longer depressed and of the patients treated with light therapy alone, 53 percent were no longer depressed.